The US peace negotiators led by the special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and senior members of the Taliban in Doha on Tuesday focused on withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, sources privy to the talks said.
This round of talks has been labeled as critical as the two sides will bargain over a potential agreement on the timeline of American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The meeting this time is with a more authoritative Taliban delegation as Khalilzad mentioned in a tweet on Monday, pointing at the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban’s deputy leader and head of their Qatar office, in the fifth round of the Doha talks.
“Today, from early morning, the working groups worked on two topics which include the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the assurance that no threat will be posed from Afghanistan’s territory to other countries,” said Wahid Muzhdah, a political affairs analyst in Kabul. “The working groups will present the outcome of their work on Thursday to the general meeting where it will take the shape of a draft and will be announced then.”
The Afghan government welcomed the flexibility which has been noted in Taliban’s hardline approach, reiterating the call on the group to endorse an intra-Afghan dialogue by talking with government.
“The Taliban have come up with some flexibility in talks with our international partners. We hope that Taliban will adopt same flexible tone in talking with Afghan government,” said Omid Maisam, deputy spokesman to Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
But, a member of government’s negotiating team, Abdul Hakim Munib, said that no agreement with the Taliban will be implemented unless the Afghan government is involved in the process.
“These talks will not yield any result without the engagement of the Afghan government; therefore, Afghans need to sit together,” said Munib.
Taliban and the US at this round of talks are expected to hold discussions on some key issues including the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, assurance that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against any other country, ceasefire and an intra-Afghan dialogue.
The Taliban, who have been fighting against the Afghan government and its foreign allies, have constantly refused to talk to the government in Kabul, branding it as a “puppet” administration.
But, aside from what the group wants to say when it comes to negotiations with the Afghan government, there is a perception in Afghanistan that Taliban lack enough independence to engage in intra-Afghan talks due to the regional influence over the group.
A senior official in Afghanistan’s southeastern Paktia province said Taliban are “not independent” in the talks with the US and that some countries in the region are leading their negotiations.
“Taliban cannot make a decision without consultation with Pakistan, Iran and Russia,” Paktia Governor Shamim Katawazai said. “Why Taliban are not talking to the Afghan government if they are sovereign?” he asked.
